looking for advice

Discussion:

looking for advice

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Steve Davison

2009-10-10 15:19:26 UTC

hello everyone!

I'm new to this discussion group..been searching for some help.
I have a sick llama.
No vets in our area will give any help at all.
If anyone knows of a llama vet, I'd sure like to call them, or maybe
someone in the grouup has some ideas?
Anyway, here's my story:

I have 2 llamas, about 17 years old.
1 started laying down a lot on Tuesday and not interested in food.
Wednesday evening he was down on his side. He'd get up and wander
around the barn for a few seconds and lay down pretty hard.
Gurgling sounds as he was up..think they were from the stomache?
maybe?
No vet had any ideas..couldn't get him into a trailer.
Thursday, still down.. not good, didn't think he'd live the night.
Friday. HE'S sitting up! drinking water..still pretty woozie.
Friday night the cold hit..we went down to 0 F. He's still up, but
not interested in water today.
Signs of diahrea. Trying to keep him warm with lots of straw and a
blanket.

Should I get him up?

I know this is not fair to the list to come with an emergency like
this, and I understand if nobody has any suggestions..He's old..maybe
we just need to let him fight by himself and just keep food and water
handy?

Thanks in advance for any advice you have.

If I'm away from computer, and you have some help, you can feel free
to call me:

Steve Davison
406-410-0442

I would gladly pay for over the phone assistance.

thank you.

Steve

Steve Davison

2009-10-10 20:18:14 UTC

Permalink

Update:
Well, we found a cow vet, who is going to come take a look. since
they have similar stomaches to a cow, he's thinking bloating. But,
it's been a few days, so he's talking about a stomache acid problem.
But anyway, I think I have some help on the way.
At least someone who knows a lot more than I do.

Thanks.

Post by Steve Davison
hello everyone!
I'm new to this discussion group..been searching for some help.
I have a sick llama.
No vets in our area will give any help at all.
If anyone knows of a llama vet, I'd sure like to call them, or maybe
someone in the grouup has some ideas?
I have 2 llamas, about 17 years old.
1 started laying down a lot on Tuesday and not interested in food.
Wednesday evening he was down on his side. He'd get up and wander
around the barn for a few seconds and lay down pretty hard.
Gurgling sounds as he was up..think they were from the stomache?
maybe?
No vet had any ideas..couldn't get him into a trailer.
Thursday, still down.. not good, didn't think he'd live the night.
Friday. HE'S sitting up! drinking water..still pretty woozie.
Friday night the cold hit..we went down to 0 F. He's still up, but
not interested in water today.
Signs of diahrea. Trying to keep him warm with lots of straw and a
blanket.
Should I get him up?
I know this is not fair to the list to come with an emergency like
this, and I understand if nobody has any suggestions..He's old..maybe
we just need to let him fight by himself and just keep food and water
handy?
Thanks in advance for any advice you have.
If I'm away from computer, and you have some help, you can feel free
Steve Davison
406-410-0442
I would gladly pay for over the phone assistance.
thank you.
Steve

David V.

2009-10-11 03:37:27 UTC

Permalink

Update: Well, we found a cow vet, who is going to come take a
look. since they have similar stomaches to a cow, he's
thinking bloating. But, it's been a few days, so he's talking
about a stomache acid problem. But anyway, I think I have some
help on the way. At least someone who knows a lot more than I
do.

Sorry I couldn't be of much help. I'm not all that experienced
with the medical side of llamas. Bloat does sound probable. keep
us informed and maybe someone will come up with something.

--
Dave

"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is
putting on its shoes."
Mark Twain

Susan Gawarecki

2009-10-13 02:34:39 UTC

Permalink

Hi Steve,

You have fairly old llamas. Although they can live into their 20's,
many die in their late teens. So don't be surprised if your boy doesn't
make it. However, we might be able to give him a fighting chance. If
he's down, it is best to get him up, even if you have to use a sling, a
few times a day. Otherwise the leg muscles can be damaged from the
constant pressure.

If it's stomach acid, you can help a lot by administering Milk of
Magnesia with a dosing syringe. That helps set the rumen pH right. For
diarrhea use Kaopectate. If he is in stomach pain, a SQ injection of
Banamine can be helpful, because stress from pain interferes with eating
and drinking. Anytime an upset stomach happens, daily doses of
probiotics are good until he's better.

Did his food source change or did he get into something unusual? I
don't know where you are, but could a toxic plant be accessible to the
llama? Stomach upsets can be due to toxins (check internet poisonous
plant sites), moldy hay/grain (2 of my friend's llamas died from moldy
corn), too much grain, too much clover, bad water, and parasites (worms
or coccidia). Other causes of abdominal pain can include twisted bowel
(bad), blockages (not likely if he's got diarrhea), sand colic (sand
buildup in the stomach if you are in a sandy area), etc.

So other helpful treatments include vitamin B shots (multi or thiamine
alone) or a selenium shot (BoSe) if you have reason to suspect white
muscle disease (low Se in the soil/forage).

If he seems to be recovering but is picky about eating/drinking, offer
him some alfalfa (I'd hold off on any grain-based supplements). You can
also add electrolytes to water which might make it more palatable, but
also offer fresh water. If he's not drinking at all, the vet may need
to give him some IV fluids.

As old as your animals are, I would check their body condition--feel
under their wool to determine if they are skinny. You may not have
noticed if they are losing weight. If so, have a horse vet check their
teeth & float (file) them if necessary (use a pony float). Hooks on the
teeth can interfere with chewing their cud. You can use an equine
senior feed (no more than 1 lb/day) to help put weight on them, also add
alfalfa to their diet up to 50% of their forage. These are some
considerations for geriatric llamas. You may also have to manage some
arthritis pain.

You can have your vet call one of the state vet schools for advice.
Most of these have some sort of llama/alpaca program. For a list of
practicing llama vets you can go to the International Camelid Institute
website http://www.icinfo.org/pages/findvet.html . If you still can't
find one, look for one locally that treats sheep & goats. Llamas are
more like goats than cows. Also, they are used as guardian animals for
these small ruminants, so many of the sheep/goat vets end up treating
llamas as well. You are finding out the hard way that it's better to
have a working relationship with the vet of your choice BEFORE the
emergency, rather than trying to induce one to come out on a weekend.

You may also have a llama club in your state or a nearby state. Other
llama owners in the region can be a valuable resource. Do an internet
search.

Good luck to you and your llama.

--Susan Gawarecki
Pathfinder Farm
Andersonville, TN

Post by Steve Davison
Well, we found a cow vet, who is going to come take a look. since
they have similar stomaches to a cow, he's thinking bloating. But,
it's been a few days, so he's talking about a stomache acid problem.
But anyway, I think I have some help on the way.
At least someone who knows a lot more than I do.
Thanks.

Susan Gawarecki

2009-10-28 21:05:10 UTC

Permalink

Hi Steve,

Did your llama recover from his illness? Did you ever figure out what
the problem was?

Regards,
Susan G